Britain’s trade body for the offshore energy industry, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), has emphasized the importance of a policy reset for the North Sea oil and gas arena for the UK government to secure billions in energy investments and curtail the nation’s dependence on imports.
The calls to scrap the energy profits levy (EPL) have been growing to establish a path toward a fiscal regime that supports responsible domestic oil and gas production, unlocks investment, and ensures fair return to the Treasury when prices are high. According to OEUK’s Chief Executive, an early visit by Prime Minister Andy Burnham to meet North Sea energy operators and their workforce could mark a crucial turning point in government attitudes towards home-grown energy and the future of the offshore industry.
David Whitehouse, Chief Executive of Offshore Energies UK, commented: “The UK will still need oil and gas for decades to come. The question is whether we produce as much of that energy as possible here — supporting our own jobs, communities and economy — or rely increasingly on imports while exporting investment and economic value overseas. Government policy should back North Sea production as part of a secure and managed energy transition.
“Energy policy cannot be made in Westminster alone without listening to the people and communities who have powered this country for the last 50 years. For too long, offshore workers, engineers, technicians and those across the energy supply chain have been talked about rather than listened to. A visit to meet the North Sea workforce would demonstrate that the new government intends to build a different relationship with the people and communities at the heart of Britain’s energy system.”
As a result, OEUK has requested an urgent prime ministerial visit to operators in Scotland and supply chains in the Northeast of England, arguing that energy production must be incentivized ahead of increasing reliance on imported oil and gas.
Offshore Energies UK is adamant that the choice is not between oil and gas and clean energy, but whether the country can produce the energy it needs with its own workers and supply chains or import more from overseas at higher costs and emissions.
Whitehouse underlined: “The new Prime Minister must now turn listening into action. Words of support for projects such as Jackdaw and Rosebank cannot be a substitute for the policy reset our country needs.
“The new government must back North Sea oil and gas over increased reliance on imports — delivering the fiscal and regulatory reforms required to unlock investment, protect domestic jobs, strengthen energy security and support the energy transition.”
OEUK highlights that using imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from America or Qatar, which is increasingly being used to replace North Sea gas, involves carbon emissions that are four times higher.